on Man's Road
by Hono no Tora
Summary: Murtagh awakes one night with the notion that things in Alegaesia have gone seriously wrong. With his brother, three Riders and their dragons in training, and an artistic warrior from WolfClan, he travels back to Alegaesia to find answers, and uncovers a deadly plot that threatens the existance of all that is dear to him.Rated T for expeted violece,possibly some silly suggestivenes
1. Prologue

**This is my first Inheritance Cycle fanfic going up. And while the Clans deal runs a good bit like the WarriorCats, it has nothing to do with them other than the basic ranking system. DISCLAIMER: I do not own Murtagh, Thorn, Eragon, Saohira, Nasuada, or any of the other characters from the Inheritance Cyle that might appear. They all belong to Christopher Paolini.**

Murtagh jumped back. He was panting for air, his new sword held next to his head, the blade pointed at his opponent, just as he had been taught here. Tsukiko also jumped back, but much farther and higher than he, doing a back-flip in mid-air. She stood on a landing, much straighter than Murtagh. She, too, was panting, but no where near to the extent that Murtagh was. They lunged at each other, Tsukiko with her long, ghostly katana, Nopperabo, and Murtagh with his new hand-and-a-half hilted, flamen crimson, streight bladed Hono.

The two exchanged several blows for several moments, then Murtagh went for an elongated stab at Tsukiko's gut. She saw this coming, though, and hoped aside, landing on the palm of her hand, then springing back to her feet several feet away. Again, the two charged, and the Great Clearing rang with the clang of swords.

The sound of the crowds composed of all the different Clans was lost to him, for it was only a distraction. This was the event of the year for the Clans; the Warrium. It was where the finest warrior from each Clan- DragonClan, WolfClan, CatClan, BirdClan, HorseClan, BearClan, and BoarClan- is pitted against eachother, face-to-face, until each warrior has faced all of the others. There was no killing or unnecessary ruffness. However, there was also no Magic using, which put Murtahg at a bit of a disadvantage. He was not as naturaly strong as the Clan warriors because he was entirely human. The Clan-born people looked like humans, but with pointed ears (their faces not like that of the Elves') and they were also capable of turning into the Clan Animal. His current opponent, Tsukiko of WolfClan, (daughter of the Clan Leader and deputy of DragonClan, Moonstar, also known as Moonwing) for example, could turn into a silver wolf, her pelt the color of her long, smooth, glistening hair. However, that was considered a type of Magic, so none of the warriors could turn into their animal form while in battle. However, the Clan-borns were still naturally stronger than he. So it was usually necessary to use wit instead of brawn. He had managed to beat every opponent he had faced, even the biggest, buffest warrior of BoarClan. That had definately been scarry. And he had only beaten the quickest, most vicious of CatClan because he was so small, and he managed to grab him by the hair and used most of his weight to shove the derranged warrior to the ground for over 5 seconds.

Now he was up against the daughter of the ClanLeader of one of the three Dominant Clans. She wore a silver half-mask shaped like the upper face of a snarling wolf. He himself, being of DragonClan, one of the other Dominant Clans, wore a silver half-mask shaped like the upper face of a slender dragon. Tsukiko was of a powerful build, but still swift enough to get out of Murtagh's way when he tried to strike. He was of a similar build, but still was not quite as powerful and swift as she.

His whole point for being in the Warrium in the first place was so that he could prove himself equal to the Clan-borns, that just because he was an outsider didn't mean he was incapable of defending himself. However, his chances at that seemed rather bleak. He had to think quick so as to win the duel.

Despite their fatuige, her strength was apparent in her next stroke, a Yakamanuchi ment for his shoulder. When he countered it with a roof-block, the force of Nopperabo coming down so hard on Hono nearly forced Murtagh to the ground. he had to come up with something tactical if he were not to loose the duel. He felt a warm presense in his mind now, a familiar one.

_ Thorn!_ he cried with an amount of relief at the fact that he was nearby. _Where have you been?_

_ Oh, just watching you duel the other Clan warriors and munching on a deer_, he answered simply.

Another one of Tsukiko's strokes made him involuntarily cry out, and it messed up his train of thought.

_ Well, that's good to know. _ He wondered where on earth Thorn was watching the match from.

_ From the skies, of course, _said Thorn, answering Murtagh's question before he had time to ask. Just then, he saw an opportunity.

Tsukiko was holding her sword only with one hand now. They had once again put distance between eachother, but it was only a couple of strides. If he could be quick enough… He wouldn't get his hopes up, though. Last time he tried to take advantage of someone holding their sword with one hand, he had gotten stabbed in the gut.

_ Well, take it!_ Thorn urged.

And so he did. He strode foreward, catching Tsukiko off guard, for she usually made the first move, and when he was close enough, Murtagh took Hono and flung Nopperabo from Tsukiko's hand. Shock was evident on the visible parts of her face. This warrented a small grin on Murtagh's part. He tried for a finishing blow, with the pommel of Hono, but Tsuki ducked low and then roundhouse kicked Hono out of Muragh's own hands, and it landed several yards away with a clang. Left defensless in terms of weapons, Murtagh could only stand there witless for a moment as Tsukiko assumed a horse stance. Murtagh did his best to stance himself well. He had his right foot foreward, his left behind, and his hands held open flat and perpendicular to his body, elbows at an angle of about 140°. Tsukiko stood from her Horse stance, and assumed the same stance as murtagh. They began to circle eachother, watching for any sighn of an attack or an opportunity to do so.

Suddenly, Tsukiko lunged, a bark audible from beneath her half-mask, sweeping at Murtagh's legs. He thought quick as he could, and jumped just above her sweep and brought his forearm down diractly on top of her head just as she was standing back up. He realy hated hurting her...Murtagh's train of thought was interrupted by the crowd cheering and crying out louder than usual.

"AAAHH!" She cried out in pain and placed both hands on top of her knoggin. He went up in front of her and tried to throw a couple of punches, but she managed to block them with her palms and forearms. She mirrored him, and instead of trying to fend off the blows as Tsukiko had, Murtagh went down low for a very good sweep. Tsuki, still dazed and in pain, had no time to jump over his swift leg, and so fell to the leaf-covered ground with a thud. There was no quick recovery for her, and she stayed on the ground for more than five seconds with no attempt to get back up.

And so, Lupa, with her chocolate colored fur and silver eyes, stood in a beautiful, flowing motion, threw her head to the sky, and howled, announcing Murtagh as the Warrium Champion of the Year. Now Murtagh could afford to listen to the audienc's near-defaning cheers. He turned back to Tsukiko, just starting to try and stand once more.

"Here," he said, his word inaudiable over the combined Clans all shouting and roaring. He offered her a hand, with a friendly smile on his face. Tsukiko was hesitant, but took hold of his wrist and was hoisted back onto her feet.

Murtagh woke up in a cold sweat. Something was wrong. He didn't know exactly what, but it wasn't right.

_Thorn!_ he called, waking the dragon from sweet dreams with a start.

_Eh? What's going on? _he waked, his brain in a sleepy scramble.

_We need to go. Something's up._

_ Yeah, you. _Thorn let loose a wide yawn, and streached out his wings and legs like a tired cat.

_Whatever. Just get something to eat because we won't be landing for a while. We're going back home._

_ Oh! We are?_

Murtagh paused what he was doing to get ready, and said sarcastically,_No, Thorn. We're going to the heart of the Hadarac Deasert to live as moles._

Sensing Murtagh's humor, Thorn responded, _But I don't wanna be a mole…_

It had snowed sceince the Warrium, leaving the ground in a cold blanket of white, illuminated by the light of the full moon. All of the Clans were spending the night at the Clearing. As he stepped into the stark white clearing, he heard quiet footsteps behind him. He turned to see Tsukiko, her silver hair close to glowing, her azure eyes shimmering in the pale light of the moon. They had known eachother for some time, and he liked hanging out with her, for she was one of the few who didn't juge him for being an outsider. She was the daughter of the WolfClan leader, and DragonClan deputy, MoonStar, also known as MoonWing.

She seemed just to notice him as he had noticed her. "What are you doing out here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Not wanting to share his anxiety, he answered her question with another question. "Well, what are you doing out here?"

"We wolves aren't afraid to hunt by only the dim light of the moon. Especially me." Her words were sightly tinged with bitterness, and Murtagh knew that she was upset that she hadn't won the Warrium.

"Oh. Okay then. Look, I did what I had to in order to get people's respect. i would at least like a little. That's something I never had back where I come from. People respect and care for you no matter what, because you were born here," he explained to her.

"No, I know." The bitterness in her voice had left for the most part. "It's just…well, me and Mom…we kind of had an arguement, and it made me determined to prove to her that I can take care of myself." She looked rather down about it, so Murtagh didn't push the subject any farther. He just nodded in understanding.

Tsukiko suddenly looked puzzled. "So, what are you doing out here?"

"Just…decided to have a midnight flight. That's all." It wasn't a total lie.

Tsukiko crossed her arms and gave him a look. "Mm-hm. Then what are all of the supplies for, Champ?"

Murtagh groaned and said, "Look, something's come up that needs taking care of back home. I'll be back soon enough."

Tsukiko looked thoughtful for a moment. "Let me come with you!"

"What!" he cried.

_Does she even know where Alagasia is?_ asked Thorn

_ I certainly don't think so,_ Murtagh responded.

"Please," Tsukiko pleaded. "I never get to go do stuff without my mom breathing down my neck and jumping in at every little problem when I can handle it myself!"

"Oh, so this is about your mum." Murtagh tried to hit a point to show her that he wasn't going to let her come.

"So what if it is? I could help out, _alot_. And how many other girls do you know can fight with both a sword and with the Art of the Empty Hand? And how many other girls do you know can hunt big game and small game with ease, can build a fire using the bow technique, and can still be fun to hang out with?"

Murtagh began to protest, but then he thought better of it. Better not to argue with a wolf, unless you want to get bitten. That was both common sence and experiance. He sighed. "Fine. But don't go and do annything too bold to try to prove yourself to your mum."

"Yes!" Tsukiko cried out, jumping up with a fistpump. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it, I promise! Lemme go grab some stuff first." and she sprinted off towards her own den.

Murtagh sighed a sigh of frustration. This would be an interesting adventure, at the least.

Tsukiko came back with her bow, a quiver full of arrows, a spear, Nopperabo, some small scrolls, a wolfhair brush, and a small ink stone.

"Really? What are you going to do? Write an encyclopeidia while we're off?" Joked Murtagh.

Tsukiko looked somewhat insulted. "No, smart one. I'm going to record everything so i can show mom and the rest of the Clan for sure."

The two of them went off into the woods and into a smaller clearing, where Thorn was waiting. Murtagh checked the saddle, and packed everything into saddle bags, as did Tsukiko.

Suddenly, they both noticed that Great Mother Wolf Lupa was standing cooly at the edge of the clearing. Her silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and her chocolate coat looked lighter than it had during the day. It startled them both to see her there.

She spoke to them, not with words, but with basic telepathy, and the turn of an ear, the twitch of a whisker, the blink of an eye.. _Be careful. There are many dangers brewing in the Southernlands. Not even its pack leaders are safe. _

The three of them bowed to the giant wolfess, and took off into the glittering night. But those last words sent Murtagh's heart plunging, and his stomach in a twist. _No, no. It can't be. It won't be. She'll be safe. _However, his thoughts harboured no true faith in that. _Please be safe…_

**So, whaddya think? This origionally was going to have nothing to do with the Clans and Tsukiko, but I had the urge to write about her. so,**_** R&R! ! PLEASE! **_**I may post some links later for some artwork for the series. Hope you enjoy! more to come soon!**


	2. Evesdropping

**Second chapter; I got into a CSI sort of mood towards the middle-end. I guess I put in Naomi, Rowan, and Tiana because I miss us hanging out in school. The "Super Poke" is a joke between me and Tiana. We were in class one day and we started poking eachother. Then she pretended to throw her book at me and yelled "Super Poke!"...so yeah. This really begins to open up whatever plot Imanage to come up with I olan it by year, ok? I may need some colaberation from some of you guys- ideas for plot based on what is given.) so, please R&R, and enjoy! there's always the review box just below!**

Eragon sat in front of his class. "Any questions?" he asked his class of twelve students. A grey, beefy hand went up into the air. "Yes, Yogzvoyl?"

"If the Earth is round, then how come maps are square or rectangle?" he asked. To everyone's surprise, Yogzvoyl was very interested in magic and the sciences of the world for and Urgal, rivaled in such intelect only by a trio of Elves, and three young human girls, all whom of which were far more intelligent than he had been at their age. The elves he was not surprised about, but he wondered how it was the girls- Tiana, Naomi, and Rowan were their names- (the only humans in the entire class, as there were a pleasing three from each race in the class) understood nearly every piece of information handed to them. And if they didn't, they would always ask a really good question that would often even put Eragon wonder the same thing. Of course, he had never truly finished his magic training with Oromis, so he supposed it wasn't too bad that he couldn't always answer his own student's questions.

This, though, was one of the times that two of the human girls played "teacher" for him. "It's just because it's the easiest way to show what's where relative to another place, and really anyone can draw on." Naomi explained.

"Yeah. Ebrithil's saying that the Earth is a sphere, not necessarily a circle." Rowan put in.

"It's a three-dimensional shape, so if you tried drawing it on a circle map, it wouldn't work." Naomi finished, answering Yogzvoyl's next question before he could even ask. Tiana wasn't usually one to speak up in class. This was only a story that Eragon had told the class as they had gotten side tracked, so Tiana really wasn't listening and was, instead, reading arather large book about some dwarvish adventure. Those were usually the entire class's favorite moments, though, when Eragon told them stories about his journeys through Alagaesia.

Eragon thought he saw the Elvin twins, Flirithen and Flathoren, roll their eyes at the girls. He knew that they were not fond of the girls for being such loud know-it-alls. The thing was, they were usually right. And when they weren't, they were willing to admit it and were interested in what made their statement wrong.

Wanting to end this awkward moment of silence that had enveloped the majority of the class, Eragon said, "Now that this side track story is done with-" but before Eragon could finish, the double-doors to the large, mostly empty classroom, flew open. Eragon was nearly floored. Walking towards him was his long-lost brother. A silver-haired girl who he might have mistaken for an elf, but her face was too human-like, stayed In the doorway.

"Murtagh!" he cried out. Overwhelmed, Eragon must not have noticed the deathly look on his brother's face. He strode toward him, but just as Eragon was about to embrace his older brother, Murtagh grabbed him by the left shoulder of his shirt and punched him, square in the jaw.

The students immediately jumped up from their seats, drawing swords and battle axes. Yogzvoyl and the two other Urgals snorted, shaking their still-growing horns, dwarves shouted, the elves stood with a steely gaze, their hands on their sword hilts, and two of the human girls had their swords drawn, aimed at Murtagh, while the other brandished her thick book over her head, ready to throw it at him if necessary.

Murtagh whispered to Eragon, saying, "We need to talk."

Eragon raised a hand, signaling to his students to settle down; his other hand was still healing his jaw. Once that was fixed, he declared, "Class dismissed. Make sure to study your Elvish gerunds."

He heard several complaints come from Tiana (who's cruel humorous nature often concerned him), saying "Man and I didn't even get to Super Poke any body…"

"Tiana, I still have a bruise from that time you Super Poked me last week!" Naomi protested.

Once everyone had gone back to their dorms, Eragon shouted, "What the Heligrind was that for!"

Murtagh turned to face him. Eragon certainly had been overwhelmed, because it was only now that he noticed how full of pain Murtagh's eyes were. In a trembling voice, he said, "I told you…to look after her." He pointed an accusing finger at him.

Eragon's heart sank as he realized who his brother was talking about. "Oh gods, what happened?" he was hoping for the best, but was preparing for the worst.

"Nasuada is dead!" Murtagh shouted. Tears now streaked down his cheeks, and his nostrils were flaring. His breathing came in rattled breaths; Eragon knew that the amount of emotion behind this was overwhelming for his brother, and that he was close to breaking.

Eragon stood there in shock. Nothing could have truly prepared him for hearing that. His mind simply…stopped working. It took a while to sink in. When it did, all he could do was stagger back into one of the student's desk.

There was a long silence between them. Murtagh looked out a window, his face contorted with anguish. The only sound in the room was his own struggle to keep his breathing more stable.

After what seemed to be forever, Eragon asked, "How could this happen?"

Murtagh took a moment to answer. "I woke up one night feeling that something in Alagaesia had gone seriously wrong. When I got to Illyria, they told me that she was missing. Half of the NightHawks were slaughtered. We searched and searched, but no one could find her. Alas, I looked in the one place that no one had bothered to look."

"And where was that?"

"One of the former King's old estates…but by the time I got to her, it was too late."

Silence enveloped them once more.

"How long do you think she'd been dead?" Eragon inquired.

Murtagh's jaw clenched, and the river ov tears down his cheeks grew as he shut his eyes. "She wasn't...And damn it, there was nothing I could do..." He raised his hand to his face, covering it.

Eragon couldn't stand to see Murtagh like this. He wanted to comfort him, but he was unsure as to how. "Well, my question is who on bloody Earth did it?" He wondered aloud.

"We don't know. I came here to see if you could come back and help."

Eragon sighed. "Murtagh, I can't leave my stu-"

"You could leave one of the elves in charge."

"What about the dragons' trainig? Saphira is the only dragon here old enough and experianced enough to teach them annything," Eragon protested.

Murtagh thought about that for a moment.

"And _how_ am I supposed to help? I'm no good at solving crimes. I fear you've come to the wrong person." Eragon hated to say it, but it was true. he feared that he would be of no use to Murtagh, and that if he left, it would be a waste of time while he could be teaching important things. Nottomention, a part deep inside of him screamed that he was not supposed to go back.

"No, but you could be great leverage. The public already knows of the situation. You would be a good sight to sore eyes for many."

Eragon really couldn't argue with that. He sighed. "Well...there is one of my older students and her dragon who should be capable enough...I just hope she can get the students to get all of their work done."

"Well, then, there's no time to lose." They continiued to talk for a while, planing things out for Eragon's departure and such.

Tiana, Naomi and Rowan stared at eachother in shock. Queen Nasuada had been murdured? That was insane!

"But I thought she had like, top security measures. I even heard that she always carries around a daggar," Rowan said, almost not beleiving what they had been evesdropping on.

"Yeah, but if the killer got a hold of that information beforehand, and they were smart, they could definately thwarted every security measure she had," Naomi said, almost not surprised by this event.

"But what about that little girl that always followed her around?" Tiana asked. "Wouldn't she have been able to defend her, er something?"

"She ended up moving a few years after the war ended a decade ago, off to some remote little place to live with her old woman," clarified Naomi to Tiana.

"Oh...See, nobody ever informs me of this crap." She was right, though. For some reason, (they guessed it was because she never really asked) she was usually the last to be informed.

"This had to have been pre-meditated. I'm thinking it was an inside job. What do you guys think?" Naomi suggested.

"Well, maybe, but if you think about it, we're all just peasents. The killer could have gotten the information just like we did, through rumors and such," Rowan put out.

"Yeah, but no one really knows annything about the NightHawks. No vital infromation annyways, not unless it was an inside job. Not to mention," she lowered her voice. "If she was still alive by the time he got there, it must've been long and painful. Somebody certainly didn't like somebody. That just might make this a hate crime."

Rowan looked at her like she had just hit a fine point. "True!".

Then Tiana said, "So why can't they interrogate everybody who was there on the night she went missing? Don't they have some kind of potion or something that'll make them talk? I know they don't all speak in the ancient language."

"They did, up untill a couple of years ago. It was banned due to severe long-term side effects." Again, Naomi unwillingly shot down Tiana's idea. "Sorry," she said.

Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. They all froze, then slowly turned, to see the dark-headed man who had socked Ebrithil in the face, staring down at them with his hands on his hips.

They all stared back at him, but with more petrified expressions.

"Uuh...Can weeee help you, Sir?" Rowan asked, a bit awkwardly. Naomi was struggling to hold back some really nurvous laughs, and Tiana could only sit and stare, unsure what else to do.

"You know, evesdropping can be a dangerous thing," The man stated, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, that depends on the, uh, situation. It can also be...helpful..."was Naomi's arguement. She stunned herself, for she was hardly ever brave enough to argue with a teacher, let alone some stranger. She usually did the argiung in her head.

"Indeed..."

The three of them stood in front of their Ebrithil, all in of which had taken a sudden intense intrest in their shoes.

Eragon sighed. "How did I ever know it would be you three?"

Tiana was about to say, "Strong hunch?", but Naomi cut her off before she could say anything with an elbow to the ribs.

"What all did you hear?" Eragon asked them.

"Uum...everything from 'She's dead' to 'There's no time to loose'," fessed up Naomi. "But, sir, we were talking it out and-"

"Oh, I know very well that you have. You three being so intelligent, I suspected as much." Eragon cut in. "Now, go on." He shot a glance at Murtagh, who was standing off to the side, one that seemed to say, "Watch this"

"Well, sir, It seems pretty clear to us that is was an inside job, one with a seriously angry agenda. I doubt annyone would be willing to attack unless they knew exactly what they were up against, as far as the Nighthawks go. I here those guys are the best annyone can get in security thses days. Top-Secret profiles that either a seriously talented spy and-slash-or someone on the inside could access. There are probably only a select few that could possibly have done it. Did you search and secure the area?" She turned to Murtagh.

"By the time I did, I knew they had fled out through some secret passage or other, and I attempted to find it, but there's a reason it's a 'secret' passage," stated Murtagh flatly.

"Oh...right..." She found it funny that someone, who was a mere hate-criminal, would go to the lengths of taking her to one of Galbatorix's old estates, with wards against tresspassers still in full effect. The elves were still trying to decode the spells set around his summer and winter homes. Out of habbit, she expressed her wanderings aloud. "Why would a low-life hate-criminal take her all the way to Galby's fully-warded mansion to kill her? Would've all been musch more simple and such if he just did it in the woods or something." Oh crap. That was just insensitively worded. She hoped the dark-haired guy wouldn't take it the wrong way. "Just a question."

Rowan and Tiana hadn't thought of that. Eragon and Murtagh exchanged glances. That was a good point.

"Because, I mean, wouldn't it be a lot harder to find evidence and stuff in a remote, untouched region? Where not a soul but the local cyote pack would bother to look?" something else was lingering in her embryotic theory. She had heard rumers as a girl that the "Black Hand" was still roaming out and about, and that the group of the King's former servants still congergated now and then. "And what of the Black Hand? Aren't they still around?" Her voice cautiously approached.

"What's your name, kid?" Murtagh asked.

"Uh, Naomi, sir..." she responded a bit sheepishly.

"Alright, cut it out with the formality. It gets anoying"

"Oh...okay...And these two are Rowan, and Tiana," she pointed out the other two even though Murtagh had not asked.

Murtagh looked over at Eragon. "And you trained these kids?"

"Well, only the Rider stuff. They get this all on their own."

"Interesting..."

Eragon had a good picture of what Murtagh was thinking. "Oooh, no you don't. She's no where near ready for something like this!"

"Really? Because she seems perfectly capable of herself."

Naomi was getting a very bad vibe about this conversation. "Woa, woa, woa. If I'm going anywhere, I'm not going without my partners," she pointed her thumbs to her two friends. "I'm gonna go tal-"

"Naomi, don't worry. You're not going," Eragon cut in.

"Yes she is," Murtagh rejected.

"No, she isn-"

"YES, she is."

"And I am stating, NO she isn't."

Murtagh walked up to Eragon's desk, and leaned his hands against the finished wood. As they came face to face, he said, "Eragon. Listen to me. If she's right, and she's that smart and can deduct all of that from just a little bit of information, she could be undoubtfully useful."

Eragon stood, temporarily towering over Murtagh, "Murtagh, this is dangerous. I won't allow any of my students to be put in such a situation without full proper instruction and experience."

Murtagh the stood back erectly, standing, even after nearly ten years, two inches taller than his brother. "Eragon, you had sktchy training from Brom while on the run and you never really finished training from your other teacher. No offense, but do you honestly think that you're qualified to give them a full Rider's education?"

Eragon couldn't help but feel like his ego had just been stabed in the back, right in front of his students. Worse, from his standpoint, Eragon could veiw the girls giving eachother those "ooh, burn" looks and holding back a few snickers. "And you learned from the biggest hippocrite of a power-hungry king the world had ever known."

Murtagh's expression went ice cold. "Are you really going to go there? Do you really think that that arguement would be worth it?"

"Well, you'd best think of what you say in front of who."

Murtagh only rolled his eyes.

"Anyways, she's not going, and that is the end of it. Now, I must go pack my things for the trip."

As Eragon began to walk away, Murtagh caught him by his arm. He turned, and the brothers looked at eachother, dead in the eyes. "For Nasuada... For a friend."

Eragon sighed. "I'm sorry, but this is one that you can't win." And with that, he exited the room.

Murtagh clenced his fists, trying to keep his emotions down. He sighed, and looked at the trio of girls, looking at eachother, clueless due to the lack of orders givin from their Ebrithil. "Thank you girls. I do believe that in this situation, evesdropping has been truely helpful."

**So whaddya think? was the ending to the chapter good enough? what was your favorite part of it? The review box is always just below!**


	3. Nightmare

**Hey! Finally managed to get down the 3****rd**** chapter! Ok, Dipsey and Derpington are the nicknames of these two guys at my school, and I personally think that this scene represents them pretty well. And yes, Dipsey makes those kind of threats all the time, lol. They do get much worse. And Ebrithil Bunce is based on my favorite teacher ever! Thanks for reading! R&R, please! Reviews are very much welcome!**

Naomi sat there, on her bed, staring off into space. She was daydreaming about random stuff, while her homework sat half-done in her lap.

_Naomi? Naomi! _Came a voice from inside her head.

_Gah! What!_ she said, surprised.

_You have homework, _Sora reminded her. He was a young dragon still, with glittering sky-blue scales.

_Oh…right…homework…_ She really didn't see the point of giving everyone in a twelve person class homework, because she knew it was apparent to Ebrithil that she understood the lesson perfectly. They had practiced it enough in class. Why did she need to do it now? It was just down right stupid. _Hopefully Ebrithil Bunce won't give us so much crap. She knows that we get it, and she'll certainly put that bit of info to use…don't you think so, Sora? _

_Maybe, I dunno. All I know about her is that she keeps loosing her coffee._

_Hahehe, yeah! "Flirithen, can you find my coffee?" haha! There is no one that I can think of who just can't love her! _

_Accept maybe the twins. _

_Yeah, but other than them. And then there was the time that she hit Ebrithil Eragon in the gut!_

_Oh man, that was histerical! _Naomi could feel her dragon chuckling from the dragonskeep.

_Now, GET YOUR HOMEWORK DONE!_

_Dear gods, didn't Ebrithil Saphira give you some sort of hunting practice or something?_

There was a momentary scilence..._No...I don't know what you're talking about._

_Mmmmmm-hm. Sure._ Finally, a way to get him to shut up about her homework.

And so, Sora flew away, searching from the skies for anything big and tasty that wasn't someone's horse. He never really understood why, but even though this was a school for DRAGON Riders, they kept horses for the the kids and everyone to ride...And Naomi and her two friends happened to verymuch care about their horses. Not as much as their dragons, of course, but none the less, they liked riding horses as well.

_Sora...What do you think of the Queen's assassination? _

_What do you mean?_

_I mean, do you think that it was something personal, or do you think that it's something...bigger?_

_You mean like a conspiracy? _

_I guess. Like, what if there's some unknown resistance forming right under everyone's nose? They've already commited an act of war. And what's with that guy that punched Ebrithil? he seemed seriously peed off and upset by what happened. _

_Well...considering your points from earlier, I guess it would make sense...I'm not sure though about that guy from earlier, though. Maybe he had a thing for her?_

_...That or he's just overly patriotic..._

_Heh, yeah._

She just had one more question to go...

The next morning, everyone was stunned to see that the short, blonde human, Ebrithil Bunce, had taken Ebrithil Eragon's place for a while. All that was, accept Naomi, Tiana, and Rowan.

Ebrithil Bunce was standing infront of a word Farith, which read in the common tongue, "Ebrithil Bunce" in big letters for everyone who didn't know her to see, and then: "Daily Grammar Practice, Daily Reading Practice, Healing Spells Lesson 6, and LIBRARY DAY"

"Oh, man!" Rowan fretted. "I can't find my book!" She was shoveling through all sorts of formerly "lost" crap in her back pack, searching for her book.

"Rowan. You left it in the dorm, remember? You were reading it last night then fell asleep and then didn't put it in your bag this morning," Naomi informed her.

"What! Why didn't you tell me!"

"I thought you knew," Naomi shrank back at her shout-whisper.

"Guys, please don't make me yell at you," Ebrithil Bunce asked, in a rather scensere and annoyed looking way. "Y'all are the only ones talkin' in the whole class."

"Oh, sorry." they responded. Tiana was yet again lost with adventuring dwarves in her imaginaly world, and I couldn't blame her. While we were the only ones talking, the dwarves and Urgals were grunting and snorting, and making incredibly rude hand gestures at eachother in joking ways. They only got away with this because Ebrithil Bunce had her back turned at the moment, checking all of our homework.

The two who were being the doofyest behind them were, without a doubt, Dipsey and Derpington, two of the dwarves. They had to have been long-lost brothers or something, because they just went along perfeclty. Dipsey was a dark headed dwarf, donning barely-visible chin hairs. He was the most perverted guy Naomi had ever known. Usually she would be annoyed by such people, but this guy was funny as crap. And he wasn't always perverted, and he was still hilarious when he wasn't.

Derpington, a red-headed, terra-cotta eyed dwarf with slight mustache hair, was laughing at Dipsey's incredibly doofy faces.

Naomi was sure she had heared Dipsey tell one of the Urgals, "Imma gonna hid you in my closet with all teh other little kiddehs." Derpington crossed his eyes and went "Wait, what?" while still giggling. Rowan Turned to look at Dipsey with that, "Dude, what the crap?" sort of look, and Derpington only swished his hair to the side, then smoothed it out with his hand.

"Oh my gods!" Tiana suddenly cried out, making Ebrithil Bunce turn around saying, "What is it, hun?"

Tiana was scilent for a moment. "This dwarf just got eaten by a mad red-eyed rabbit!"

"Woa, what!" Derpington shouted, seemingly frightened by this statement.

"...Really, hun? you interrupted my momentarily perfect concentration to say that?" Though she said this, Ebrithil Bunce was giggling. She apparently thought it was funny, too. Then she stopped, tuned in a circle. When she stopped, she asked, "Guys, where's my coffee?" Naomi was rather amused that she asked the class and not her dragon, Amber, who was about ten years old.

"It's on the podeum."

She looked over to the oaken podeum, close to the Ebrithil's desk, then slouched, with that look of "Duh," on her face. "I knew that, y'all," she teased. Everyone laughed, and even the elves seemed amused.

"Well, at least Ebrithil Bunce didn't give us any homework!" Tiana raved as they headed back to our dorms for the evening.

"You're not joking!" Rowan agreed.

Naomi remained scilent, her mind lingering once again on Queen Nasuada's mysterious assassination.

"What's wrong with you?" Rowan asked her, leaning forward to look at her friend's downturned face.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Naomi responded, taken a bit by surprise.

Tiana and Rowan didn't really look convinced. "Are you sure? Did Dipsey threaten to stuff you in his closet?"

"What? No." Though, Dipsey had told just about everyone that he would. Tiana even dared him once to say it to one of the Elves. It was all a joke, but he did it anyways. He managed to run away to his dorm before anyone could do anything to him. The elves refused to even look at him for the next week and a half.

"It's just that...I can't get my mind off the Queen's death...How is the country going to react? What's going to happen if they catch the culprit, what if it's something bigger than anyone ever expected? I know I sound like I've got some screws loose, but I get this gut feeli-" She was cut off.

"Yeah, I know. I've been thinking the same thing..." Rowan interrupted.

"I know, right! It's so flipping annoying!" Tiana sounded like she'd just gotten someting big off her chest, too.

"So I'm not alone her?" Naomi asked, taken aback.

"Apparently not. I thought I was until you said something about it," Rowan reassured.

That night, Naomi had the scarriest nightmare that she had ever had.

_The marble hallway was slick, and the stench of death reaked throughout the castle. She stood there, in all out battle armor, blood flecking her breastplate and greaves. She held a sky-blue sword, and it too was bloodied. Unsure what else to do, she ran on to the nearest sounds of clashing weapons, being careful not to step on the limp bodies that littered the ground, and she tried her best not to slip on the dark red floor. _

_She turned at the second room to her right, from shich the last remnants of the battle still stood, battling like cornered animals. __A silver form, blood straming down its back, lay on the ground yards away. _

_She reconized one of the battling men...Murtagh was his name. She wasn't sure how she knew it, but she did. He was barely able to hold up his light garnet sword, and blood streaked down his forhead and from the corners of his mouth. Parts of his tunc were showing from beneath his armor, or what was left of it, and the cloth was darker than it should've been. His breathing was ragged, and irregular, labored. The other man, to the contrary, was in much better shape. He was shadowy, and hooded... A pale, bone-white sword glinted evily in the dim light. _

_The hooded man seemed to chuckle as he lunged forward ... Murtagh took in a gasp, then held it in his throat. His jaw worked for a moment. He caughed, and blood spattered from his mouth. The pale sword glinted yet again, revealing its tip protruding from Murtagh's back. _

_The man cruely pulled the sword out of Murtagh's chest, twisting it as he did so, and he fell limply to the ground. An inhumane, cruel, and twisted grin spred across the hooded figure's face._

_The worst ever feeling of great fear and loss consumed her. Where was her dragon? Where were her friends? Why weren't they there for her? Why him? Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't it have been someone else? Why...WHY!_

_"NO!" She cried. Enraged, she charged forward, brandishing her skyblue blade. The man turned to her, likewise raising his own bleach-boned sword. The last thing that she saw was Murtagh, lying on the ground, facing her. He looked so hurt...Had he, too, lost all that was dear to him? Why him? _

_"No...!" A final, weak shout tore from his lips...then she saw nothing._

Naomi woke and sat up in her bed, her heart pounding, head trying to catch up. The feeling was like rising from deep water all too quickly. She was glad that the dream was over, but she hated being yanked from sleep's deep, aqueos embrace. She wondered for a moment if it had all been real, and if this was the dream...the nightmare...

_It's alright little one, I saw it, too. There is nothing to be afraid of. I'm here, _Sora told her. Hearing his mental voice flooded her mind, heart, and body with a substantial amount of releif.

It was then that she felt dry tears cracking on her cheeks. _Sora..._She put a trembling had to her face, and cried, silently. She knew that if she let herself sob, Tiana might hear her and wake (Tiana was the light sleeper, Rowan not so much). She eventually got up the courage to go upstairs to the dragonskeep. There, she snuggled up beneath her dragon's wing, where she slept the rest of the night. She wouldn't let herself sleep for a while, but eventually the warm rythem of Sora's breathing and the beating of his heart lulled her back into the soothing deepths of slumber.

**SO, whaddya think? What did you like, what didn't you like? What did you think of Ebrithil Bunce, not to mention Dipsey and Derpington? What did you think of the dream? How do you like my description of sleep? I think I'm pretty good at writing about sleep...I don't know why. Annyways, the reveiw box is just below!**


	4. Fear of Dreams

The next morning, Naomi confessed to Rowan and Tiana as to why she wasn't in their dorm that morning. She didn't tell them the events of the dream, but simply referred to it as a very scary dream.

"Man, if it managed to scare you up to Sora, it must've been scary," observed Rowan.

"Yeah…" agreed Naomi. "What was weird was that it had a complete lack of weirdness to it. Hardly any of my dreams ever make sense, but this one…it was too realistic."

Rowan and Tiana looked troubled by how shaken their friend was by a mere dream. "Are you sure it was just a dream, Naomi?" Tiana asked her.

"What do you mean?" Puzzled, Naomi inquired her companion.

"Well, Ebrithil Eragon said one time that he had really realistic dreams that ended up being true events. That could also explain why you're so shaken up about it," Tiana suggested.

Naomi looked at Tiana with a rather frightened look. "Well thanks for the comfort!"

The three of them chuckled at that as they gathered their books and such for that day's classes.

"Hey, guys," Tiana began. "What if we like went on an adventure?"

The other two looked at her like she was raving mad.

"You know, like if we just left school for a while and flew away to help Ebrithil and that other guy solve the mystery of why the Queen died and helped catch the bad guys and stuff."

This really didn't sway the others very much, Naomi in particular.

"I am not going on any adventure that is linked to Murtagh and -" Naomi began.

"Wait a second, is that his name? How do you know it?" Tiana noticed Naomi's slip-up.

She froze for a second and looked almost embarrassed. The other two stopped and looked at Naomi.

"Well?" Tiana pushed. "Are you some sort of stalker or something?"

She was obviously joking, but none the less, Naomi shot back, "What, NO! I really don't want to stalk anybody, let alone some stranger who socked Ebrithil in the jaw."

"But then, how do you know his name? Now that I think about it though, it seems as though Ebrithil said his name at some point, but I never caught it clear enough to call the guy by name," Rowan put out.

"Rowan, you zone out all the time. It would have been all too easy for you to have missed it," Naomi retorted. It was true. She would zone out at the most random moments.

Naomi seemed defeated, but more than that, she just seemed upset. "We're NOT going on some mindless, dangerous adventure, Tiana," Naomi stated with a sense of finality.

"Why are you so opposed to this?" Tiana retorted, not wanting to follow Naomi's lead and drop the conversation. It was then that Naomi did one thing that the friends hardly did unless it was necessary.

_This is why, _she stated, sending to both of them a flood of images far too clear to be clips from any normal dream, emotions too strong. _I wish not for us to go because I fear that it may lead us only to our own doom._

Withdrawing from her companions' minds, she turned away from them, hiding the sad fear that drew her face.

Now they understood. Now they knew her fear. Now they knew how it was that she knew the man's name. Despite knowing all these things now, Tiana was still itching as though spiders were crawling beneath her skin for an adventure. "…But the Urgal Olympics are coming up…" Tiana pleaded. One of her biggest dreams was to see the Urgal Olympics, and she wasn't even into sports. "And come on, I mean we'd be with the two greatest Dragon Riders ever. I'm sure we'll be fine!"

"I said no…" Naomi's voice became thick, and though they had seen and felt her dream, they had not just the idea of how horribly she had been troubled by it.

That day at lunch, before Naomi sat down with her food, Tiana whispered to Rowan, "I still want to go on an adventure…She doesn't want to come if she doesn't want to."

"Tiana, after seeing her dream, I would leave this alone. Her memories came with a gut feeling that things would go deadly wrong," debated Rowan.

"Oh my gosh, is no body but Alice with me on this!?" Tiana cried, referring to her royal purple dragoness, who at the moment was out of mental range, along with the other youngling dragons, training with Ebrithil Amber.

Rowan only shrugged as Naomi sat down and began nibbling at her spaghetti.

_Come on, Alice. Remember that adventure I was talking about?_ Tiana approached her violet dragon, who looked nearly black in the darkness, carrying her own small, lighter-weight saddle that was still rather comfortable over long distances. Many saddle bags were laying on the ground near-by, along with a sleeping bag, a couple pots and pans and lots of parchment and ink for story-writing. Her small daggar was strapped to her belt.

_Yeah, why? Are we going back to Alagaesia? _Alice inquired, excitement evident in every note of her mental voice, not-to-mention through their mental link, which was stronger than any metal the Earth could ever produce.

_Yes, yes we are! _Tiana was grinning form ear to ear.

_Yes!_

Tiana was just tightening the girth of the saddle, when her guts did a jump and a back flip-and-a-half.

"Tiana, it is half-past eleve-" A tired Rowan rubbed her eyes and stopped herself as she saw all of the saddle bags. "What the HELIGRIND are you doing!?" she cried.

"Well, neither of you guys wanted to come, so me and Alice are going alone!" was the explanation.

Rowan ran down the stairs into the Dragon's Keep from the balcony she was standing on.

_Thalassa, wake up! _

The teal dragon, her scales the color of the shallow sea, woke, eyes surprisingly sharp, asking, _What is the matter, little one?_

_Tiana's trying for an escape!_

…_An "escape," really?_

_You know what I mean!_

"Tiana, you can't go!" Rowan pleaded, trying to convince Tiana not to leave.

"Sure I can!" Tiana argued, her voice actually tinged with a note of humor.

"Are you kidding!? What if Ebrithil Bunce and the Elf teachers found out? They would freak!" If they did, she knew that one of the first things they would do was contact Ebrithil Eragon through a mirror or something.

"And gods only know how Naomi will react!"

Tiana sighed, frustration boiling in her chest. "Why can't she just come with me? And you, too!"

"You know very well why we can't," Rowan glared a warning stare at her friend.

"SURE AS HELIGRIND YOU KNOW WHY!" Naomi's voice made them both jump and turn towards the indoor balcony that overlooked the dragon keep. If there were any dragons still not awake, they were now. Her knuckles were white against the railing, her shoulders unbelievably tense. "Barzul…Barzul, for trying to leave, only flying to what I know is only your own death! To leave me here, alone, for you know I have no other true friends!" Tears streaked down her cheeks.

Tiana felt a pang of guilt; she was right. "Naomi…It was all just a dream. You should come with us." She looked down at a unwillingly volunteered Rowan as she said "us". "Don't worry. Look, we'll be with Ebrithil, the greatest Dragon Rider ever! Everything will go fine. You're trying to base a horrible gut feeling on a dream. That's worse than some demented lifeless twenty year-old dreaming about sparkling vampires." Despite herself, Naomi couldn't help but chuckle at the reference to everyone's least favorite book series.

Everyone stood there for a moment, waiting for Naomi to make the final decision.

"Well?" Tiana nudged.

Naomi sighed. "Well, alright then. I shall go with you. And Rowan? Surely you don't want to be left here either?"

Rowan shook her head. "Of course not!"

And so, when all was ready, the three young Riders, each with their dragons, took off into the navy of the cool night, and westward they flew.


	5. Eating Meat

Murtagh let the wind rip at his dark hair as he layed his head on Thorn's neck. His scales were warm, something that Murtagh's wind bitten face needed. Tsukiko sat behind him, seeming rather tired herself. It was dusk, and the sky to the west, right ahead of them, was orange at the base, then faded into a rosy tone, then into purple, and finally into a pastel blue that turned stark, then to ultramarine in the east. The clouds over the western horizon were lined with glowing gold, several golden rays reaching from behind them. Saphira flew at Thorn's side, her scales sparkling like the sunlit tops of waves on the sea. Thorn's own scales glowed hot like embers.

Despite all of the beauty leaking into his eyes, Murtagh's heart was like lead in his chest. Thorn nuzzled him with his mind, but it did hardly any good.

He lifted his head just in time to catch the last sun beam disappearing behind a cloud. The moon was higher in the east.

Tsukiko turned around in the saddle for a while and simply stared at it. She had to tuck a good portion of her gleaming hair behind her ear, and flipped the rest to the other side of her neck so that it wouldn't block her view. A sense of longing crept its way into her heart. She wondered what her father would think of her running away…

They waited about another hour before they landed for the night. They were still flying over the plains, so it wasn't like they were trying to find a clearing big enough to fit two ten year-old dragons. It was mainly Tsukiko who ended up gathering the firewood. She did it before either Murtagh or Eragon had a chance to really offer. Then it occurred to Eragon. "We're in the middle of the treeless plains. How on earth did you get firewood?"

"Who ever said it was treeless?" she responded. "There's a big dead acasia tree laying just a few meters away over there," she pointed in a direction.

"Oh…well, alright then. Thanks," came Eragon's somewhat awkward answer.

They all sat around the fire with a pot Eragon had packed that had a bunch of his vegetables and such all brewing inside. As he was preparing it, Tsukiko looked down in the pot and said, "Where's all the meat? You did bring your own, didn't you?"

Eragon seemed slightly taken aback. "Uh, no actually. I don't eat meat when I don't need to."

Tsukiko stared at him as though he were barking mad. "You…don't eat meat?"

Eragon shook his head. "I used to, but not anymore."

She waited a minute to think of a response that wouldn't make him despise her for the rest of the journey. She turned around to Murtagh, who also seemed rather surprised (mind you, he had never been told of Eragon's shift in diet). She put her hand to the side of her face and mouthed the words, "And you're related to this guy?"

He nodded. She turned back to Eragon, who had rolled his eyes at her reaction, and said, "Well, Sir Vegan, I personally need meat. So if you gentlemen don't mind," She also tuned to look at Murtagh again, "I'm going hunting."

"What's with her? Not even Roran reacted that badly," Eragon complained once he was sure that she was out of earshot (in of witch she wasn't).

"She's from WOLFClan, smart one." he hadn't meant to sound so rude, but Murtagh certainly wasn't in the mood for conversation. This wasn't lost on Eragon.

"Murtagh," he began. "You're not the only one who misses her, alright? She was my friend, too. You don't have to keep hiding yourself from me." He was being sincere. He didn't want Murtagh to stay all pint up inside, as he had been nearly a decade ago under Galbatorix. "If you keep up like this, nothing will go right."

Murtagh remained silent, and took his chin off his knees and looked away from the fire, and his brother. Thorn wrapped his tail around his Rider, and gave Eragon a look that said _Not now. Just leave it alone._

Reluctantly, Eragon took the dragon's advice. At he back of his mind, he could feel Saphira starting up a conversation with Thorn. Apparently it was so personal between them, that when he tried to listen in, Saphira kicked him back out of the talk. This irritated him greatly; he did not like eating in silence when there were other people that he could be talking to, but none of them wanted to speak with him. _I guess I'll just have to wait until that Tsukiko gets back and see if she wants to converse…_

Of course, when she returned, she was in the form of a silver wolf, her mouth full of a hare's scruff. And almost as though to annoy him, she simply left it raw and dug into it, her muzzle eventually smeared in red. The mere sight made him queasy.

_See, she eats meat,_ Saphira poked. After ten years, she still joked at him for being a vegetarian.

_Oh, shut up._ Eragon could feel Saphira's low chuckle resonate in her ribs.

Once Tsukiko was done with her rabbit, she did the best she could to lick her muzzle clean of blood, then slowly, she made her way over to Murtagh. She was very hesitant about it; stopping every few steps, lowering her head, keeping her tail down. She was only a couple of feet away when Murtagh raised his head from behind his knee and looked at her. She stopped her advance entirely and layed down on her belly. She wagged her tail after a moment, then closed the distance between them by crawling. Her ears were down when she got to him, and she began licking his cheek.

Obviously not liking it, he quietly snapped, "Cut it out, will you?"

Taken quite aback, she drew her face away from his, and gave one last tiny lick at the air. Still, she persisted, laying her head on the little space there was between his torso and his lap. As though unable to help it, he let his legs stretch out far enough for there to really be a lap for the wolfess to lay her head on, and he resorted to gently scratching her behind her ear. Very slowly, she began to close her eyes, and she let out one of those brief doggy sighs.

And for the first time in three days, Eragon saw his brother's face light up somewhat. Then he noticed that Thorn had stopped conversing with Saphira to take in the moment.

Murtagh eventually noticed this too. _What are you looking at?_ he mentally nipped at Thorn.


	6. Otosan

_Tsukiko looked around the snow-covered landscape. There were ripe conditions for hunting. A set of rabbit tracks there, some quail. Wait what was that in the tree- SQUIRREL! She trotted up to the tree and aimlessly barked at it. She tried to see if she could jump on that low branch there, but no… It must have been late spring or early autumn for there to be a squirrel out and about._

_But then, another, warmer scent filled her nostrils. It caught her breath and made her turn, almost without thinking. And there he stood. With the same cobalt eyes, and moon-like hair. With tears in her eyes (that doesn't usually happen in wolf form), she ran up and jumped on him, attacking his face with uncontrollable licking and whining, and her tail was unstoppable. Her father fell on his butt, his daughter's excitement simply too much for him to remain standing. She managed to lay her front legs on his shoulders, resulting in a hug. He hugged her back, and their foreheads met and stayed that way for a while._ That was, until, the dream of her dreams ended. That had been a mere dream? But his scent had been so real… The corners of her eyes were crusty, and she realized that her tears had been real, even though she was in wolf form.

_Idiot…of course it wasn't real. Not even the blanged squirrel…_ she scolded herself. She got up, just then realizing how closely Murtagh had let her sleep next to him; she had her chin on his shoulder. If a wolf could ever flush, she would have.

She looked up at the sky; the moon was just crossing over into the west. The campfire was still burning, but not enough to set any nearby grass on fire or anything. It was getting close to being only embers. There wasn't much to do, accept maybe nibble on one of the rabbit bones from earlier. Then again, she didn't feel like munching or anything.

_Otosan… _Her heart longed to see her father again. They had been so close. He taught her nearly everything she knew. How to hunt in human form, even tips for hunting as a wolf, self defense, how to act properly (he was not born in WolfClan; he came from a place a bit more "civilized"), he taught her how to paint, to write, how to ignore those who denied her true belonging to the Clan merely because of her father, and how to prove them wrong.

_Stupid BoarClan…_ _Thinks they can just go around massacring the other Clans…_ She despised RamTusk and all of his followers for what they did. _They're nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty, war hungry savages who want to destroy any living thing in sight if they think it will make their lives any better._

Then she remembered that she was on an adventure, with a hurt friend. It was her duty to put aside all selfish feelings that would eat her up and do what she could to help him. _Shut up and quit thinking about it, Tsuki,_ she mentally nipped her own tail. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about the last time she had seen Otosan…

"_Otosan?" She asked. "Otosan?" she hugged her dog doll against her chest, looking for her father in the frantic hysteria of the entire Clan readying for the defensive side of a battle. Everybody was in armor, all wearing shoulder pads with a wolf's paw print painted on the side. Finally, he came into view. "Otosan!" she cried. He turned to her, picking her up in his arms. "Otosan, what's happening?" _

_He was in the middle of an apparently important conversation with Okasan. "It's alright, pup. Okasan has to take you to the Clearing, alright?" His accent was apparent. _

"_Wha-I never said-" Okasan began._

"_It doesn't matter," Otosan handed her over to Okasan. "If the Clan is defeated, at least it will still have a Leader." Before Okasan could protest, he put his hand on her neck and kissed her. _

"_Anzende, sukoshi tsuki ni naru!" And so, he put on his helm, the rim shaped like the WolfClan Warrium Mask, and disappeared in the onslaught of warriors. With heartbreaking reluctance, Okasan turned away and lead the Clan Elders, Dams, Pups, and injured scouts the Great Clearing, where according to the Clan Oaths, no one is to be intentionally harmed under war. Reaching over her mother's shoulder, and with tears rolling down her young cheeks, Tsukiko cried out "Otosaaan! Otosan, come back!" But he never did. _

_There was a great funeral in his honor and in the honor of all the others who had died in the war at the Clearing later on when BoarClan had been punished. RamTusk was publicly Executed by Lupa, and apparently it was such a horribly bloody death that Okasan made Tsukiko turn and look away, even cover her little ears. Despite this, she still heard much snarling, and many a pig's squeal. She didn't like it at the time, but over the years, she came to prize the moment. RamTusk's death was just what she wanted when she found out that it was he who had personally gored her father. _

_For a long time, Okasan wouldn't eat, she wouldn't hunt, she would barely sleep. She always stayed in the form of a wolf. Weeks had gone by, and Tsukiko was sick of it. She didn't want to have to practically beg the Elders for food, or the Dams, and as a Clan Leader, Okasan was making herself out to be a weakling. Sure she had been through a lot, but that was no excuse to clock out like this. If the other Clans got whiff of this, they would pounce on it and hold trial against her, saying that she was entirely unfit to be Clan Leader now. _

_So, one night, when she was cold, not wanting to ask to sleep with the Dams and Pups, and all alone, she went over to her mother, who was in her own separate den. Still as a human girl, she crawled on all fours to her, and wrapped her little arms around Okasan's neck. The fur close to her neck was still slightly warm, but the fur exposed to the air was nearly cold. She buried her face deep into her mother's undercoat, and let the tears seep into it._

_This seemed to stir MoonStar slightly. She seemed to wake from her cold trance. She blinked repeatedly, as though just coming back to reality. Realizing that her daughter was hugging her, she put her head down to her little back, and nuzzled her gently. With a bright flash, and a change in shape, little Tsukiko was also being embraced by her mother, and this time, as a human._

The only problem was, when her mom fully returned, she was overly protective. This caused Tsukiko to become rebellious in several ways. This eventually led up to their argument.

"Mom, I can take care of myself fine! I don't see why you won't let me become a Warrior-" "Because if I lose you, it'll be the end of me! And no one in the rest of the Clan can handle being Leader!" Silence enveloped them for a while. Then MoonStar sighed. "Tsukiko, you know I'm not trying to be controlling, it's just that…I fear losing you so much. You're my only pup, and I never could have gotten through your father's death. I probably would've gone mad, and taken it into my own hands to kill RamTusk, and then I would have been killed."

"I know, Mom, but you have to let that fear go! You can't let what you fear might happen rule your own life and others," she tried to make her mother see what she saw. "Otosan wouldn't have wanted you to be like this."

Silence, again, consumed the moment. "You used to call me Okasan…" MoonStar couldn't help but remember those days.

Tsukiko only sighed. "I know, mom…I know…Then again, I used to say 'bumfuzzled' instead of 'confused', now didn't I?" Neither of them could resist chuckling at that.

Anyways, that argument, along with others of the same basic composition, drove Tsukiko to the Warrium, and into the journey with Murtagh back to his homeland.

_Some 'journey', looking for a criminal and a potential national resistance, _she thought. _Try covert mission. Yeah, that fits it. _Then she thought some more. _…Right, because two famous war-heroes and full-time Dragon Riders are supposed to be covert…That makes a lot of sense._ She gnawed some more on the rabbit bones; she especially liked the ribs. She remembered how green Eragon's face was when she began tearing into her prey. She would for ever more savor that moment. She liked freaking out people who didn't know her well. No one ever knew why, not even herself. She just did.

When she got bored of chewing bones, she curled up next to Thorn, mainly because he was the closest and warmest thing to curl up next to. There she stayed, until the dawn cracked over the eastern horizon.


	7. Chasing Cats

**Well gee, nice to know _everyone's_ been keeping up with ONE WHOLE REVIEW ON THE CHAPTER! THAT IS JUST SO MUCH! was my sarcasm well implied? I would certainly hope so. Aw heck, i get it if it's school or work or something, but please, whenever you get a chance, just put a stinking review, please? I do like reviews, and they're reather convienient, what with the typing box open at all times right at the bottom of the (failed attempt of an action-ish chapter) page.**

**Anyways, like I said: failed attempt of an action chapter. i guess ya just gotta deal with it. (no wander no one's been posting reviews...)**

Eragon woke up with the tip of a spear aimed at his face. With a startled yelp, he did his best to leap backwards, right into Saphira's side. She immediately responded, her eyes snapping open, as well as her maw, and she sprang up, roaring in the assailant's face. This caused a chain reaction with the rest of the group, first Thorn, whose reaction was much like Saphira's, then Murtagh who had to fumble around for Hono for a moment, and finally Tsukiko, still a wolf, who jumped up snarling.

The spearman realized he had made a mistake, and lurched backwards, nearly loosing his footing.

He had dark skin, like Nasuada had, next to no hair, the little he did have was short, thick, and very curled, and midnight black eyes. He had full lips, and his teeth, when visible, were stark white against his mahogany-colored face. His clothing was somewhat scant, but there was much decoration on his head, neck, and torso that was composed almost entirely of brilliantly-colored beads. All of the décor on the boy seemed to momentarily distract Eragon from the fact that he was, indeed, a mere boy.

He quickly managed to get balanced again, and fled, quick as a sprinting cat. Eragon could tell, now from a distance, that the boy almost had a build similar to elves; tall, lean, compact. However, he was undoubtedly human. He joined up with two other boys, one of them just as dark-skinned as he, the other as pale as Eragon, with tawny hair and a slightly heavier build.

"Tsukiko, weren't those-" Murtagh began, slightly confused. "Aren't those kids from CatClan!?" He could swear he recognized them from the Warrium.

She sniffed the air, and with a whirl of air and a bright flash, she was human again. "They're cat alright!" Her voice was slightly high strung. She looked over-stimulated, and was a hair's breadth close to sprinting after them.

"Tsuki, I wouldn't recommend-"But Murtagh stopped his sentence short as, with another flash and gust of wind, a silver dog was practically flying in the direction the boys ran. "Chasing …after them…"

_Oh, great…Thorn, come on. We've got to get to her before she starts causing havoc. _

_Alright then. _

Eragon at this point was lost and confused. Saphira was nearly as bad as her Rider as far as knowing what on earth was going on. None the less, the quickly mounted, neither of them bothering with the leg straps, and rode their dragons in the direction of the CatClan boys and Tsukiko. The dragons didn't even bother flying, only running to catch up, which was a rather quick process.

Despite the fact that there were two, enormous, vibrantly colored, sparkling reptiles pacing by her side, Tsukiko seemed to pay their presence no heed.

Eragon felt as though they should really fall back now. He could almost feel the rustles in the grass a few yards away, could feel the yowls and roars being suppressed in their throats. He even glimpsed a dark mane there, a golden dotted shape in the shallower grass. Alas, one figure slightly behind Saphira couldn't suppress the urge anymore, and he let out a guttural roar.

And he could tell by the look on Murtagh's face that they might be in a bit of trouble.

"Tsukiko, fall back! Having a chase isn't worth getting mauled!" He cried out.

She barked, and he felt her now dog-like, yet uncannily human mind touch his. She showed him how she felt; she felt like she had to chase them, that she couldn't resist the urge. They started it. They came into camp, holding spears in their faces like some arrogant tom, then fleeing like the frightened kits they are now. And she felt threatened, that they came armed in the first place, and she felt like she needed to do something about it. Cats usually come armed for a reason.

_Tsuki, they're on your tail! You need to back down now!_

And it was then, as though on timing, that the huge lioness, one of several now following Tsukiko, let out another gurgling snarl and tried to trip her with her paw. Tsukiko, not having noticed them before Murtagh's warning, wheeled around to meet the tawny cat's face with a snarl of her own. The rest of the pride, carried by their own momentum, surrounded Tsukiko on all sides, cutting her off from her Companions. This made her insecure. Unsafe. Isolated. A lone wolf surrounded is a dead one, he mother had told her.

She looked around her now. The "pride" was not just made up of lions. There was one black pelt that belonged to a golden eyed, low, heavy cat. Several were of a lighter build, with broken up rings for spots. Others were of the lightest of big cat builds, their steep chests and small faces, with black tear marks running from the corners of their eyes to the corners of their lips, and dots of black on a golden pelt. Some were similar to cheetahs, to a degree; they had spots, but close to the spine they became more like stripes. They were far longer in proportion, their ears were enormous, and they were missing the trademark black tear streaks that tended to define cheetahs so well. With them were red clay colored things that reminded her of the descriptions she'd always heard of were cats, save that these ones didn't have manes. All of them, every long-fanged, sharp-clawed creature around her, had their hackles raised and bristling with spite.

A wave of instinct washed over Murtagh; he couldn't let them harm Tsukiko, and those lions were looking very agitated. He knew from the small experiences he'd had with the lions of CatClan, that they wouldn't hesitate to attack an intruder like Tsukiko, given the order. He jumped off of Thorn, and squeezed through the mob of growling cats to reach Tsukiko before the lions did. He stood to her back defensively. He wouldn't draw Hono; that would only invite them to attack. But if they started the attack, he would defend her. He couldn't let someone he cared for get hurt again. He wouldn't. Thorn let out a roar of protest, but it didn't stop his Rider.

Saphira tried to lunge into the tawny, yowling mass, but Thorn cut her off from it.

_What the- what are you doing!? These mangy, vindictive felines will surely part for a dragon's rage! _She growled, not understanding Thorn's seemingly irrational defense of the cats.

_Trust me, Saphira, _he said. _They may part for the moment, but only to came back at you a split second later with claws and teeth digging beneath your scales. I've tried it before._

Saphira still didn't seem entirely convinced, neither did Eragon.

_It's alright; I'm sure they can handle themselves._ That was one heck of a white lie, and he knew it.

Then, a small, house-pet sized cat, grey as the early dawn with strange markings the color of heather, stepped forth and let loose a stunningly loud and wild yowl that silenced every cat within the vicinity. A bright flash made everyone squint, even Eragon, from his perch on Saphira's back. A voice came from the glowing form, starting out as the light first began as unintelligible growls, then forming identifiable words.

"What the hyena is going on here!?" Cried Heatherstar. Several of the cast tried to explain with growls, then they realized that they couldn't really talk in animal form. The entire Clan became a bright beacon of light. Even Tsukiko shifted shape behind Murtagh. Now that things were a minute amount calmer, she scooted back into Murtagh, which nearly made him jump, and stood by his side.

He provided the only source of safety inside the inescapable ring of big cats- well, humans now. She was a pack hunter. She couldn't allow herself to be separated again. Her companions were essential to their survival now. She had to stick close to him.

He leaned over t her ear and growled in an undertone, "What the bloody Heligrind were you thi-"

"I wasn't thinking, alright? Just shut up and we'll handle this now"

Murtagh scoffed, but they silenced themselves before the leader of CatClan, the third Dominant Clan.

Heatherstar was being bombarded with stories-rather ridiculous and extremely exaggerated ones- from nearly every Clan member. "HUSH!" she spat. Not a soul didn't obey her apparently desperate command. "Now which one of you cats started all of this?" She scanned the crowd, and spotted the three boys that had woke Murtagh's party up; the only ones with their eyes downcast. "Come on. I know that a legitimate member of DragonClan and the daughter of my best friend would dare cause such a ruckus for no reason," Her words were partialy aimed at Murtagh and Tsukiko, as though stating confirmation from them that her statement was true. They both nodded. She gave them a barely noticeable, cat-like wink.

Apparently, the boys didn't get that her words implied for them to step forward, and they were soon being dragged to her by their ears. And despite her seemingly cruel treatment of her subjects, her voice was surprisingly calm and cool. "Now come on, tell me what you did to set off Moonchild here."

Tsukiko couldn't help but notice how Heatherstar, every time they met, simply couldn't help but call her by her real name's meaning. She found it kind of annoying.

"Well, we were outs on our morning huntz, as usual, when we saw somesing big and blue sparkling in sa sunlight," the dark boy who had still not been acquainted with Murtagh's party began.

"So, I wents to investigatse, and its was sat dragon," the second dark boy who had actually held the spear in Eragon's face pointed to Saphira. She snorted, and a plume of smoke billowed from her nostrils.

Heatherstar looked up to Tsukiko and Murtagh. Eragon had slid off of Saphira and now stood by his brother. Then she looked back to the boys. "Go on."

"Well," began the pale, tawny-haired boy. "See, ma'am, all Pantherpelt did was get a closer look to see who was there. Next thing we know, Big Bluey and Thorn start roaring at us like maniacs, and then Tsukiko, being the instinctual mutt that she is," he shot a despising, poisonous glare at Tsukiko, who was standing behind him. She stared right back. "Started chasing us for no apparent reason!"

"Moonchild, is this true?" Heatherstar asked.

Tsukiko was immediately defensive. "It too was for a reason, you slimy, thin-manned, fangless-" She emphasized every insult with a growl, before Murtagh nudged her in the ribs.

"What were your reasons, Moonchild?" Heatherstar's never moving, cool gazed made Tsukiko uneasy.

"I did not recognize Pantherpelt on sight, and I grew protective of my companions. Yes, I did let my instincts get the better of me this time," she made her eyes bore into Aasfresser's back, hopping to the gods that he could feel them. "And while no doubt it was stupid of me, I did what I felt was necessary at the time in order to keep my friends safe."

Heatherstar seemed deep in thought for a while. The only way this was even guessable was the blank look on her face. Everyone knew that meant she was calculating something in her head. "Would the three of you- well, five of you, for your dragons are welcome as well- be so kind as to be our guests back at camp for the night?"

The three of them looked at each other. Eragon seemed to like the idea much more than Murtagh and Tsukiko. Despite being outvoted, Murtagh and Tsukiko knew better than to refuse an offer like this from CatClan. It was alright to do it with BearClan, but oh no, you certainly shouldn't do it with CatClan.

Murtagh forced himself to smile, and said, "We'd be much obliged."


	8. Missing

**PPHHAHAHAHAHAAA, this was fun to write. reveiw if you can spot any of the memes other than Ermegerd and You mad, bro?. Miney and Craftey- Miney=Axe's dragon, Creftey=Derpington's dragon. All three dwarf characters are my guy nerd friends at school, Derpington and Axe being the MinCrafters. Put the two dragons' names together and take away the "ey" at the end. Axe (his real name is caleb) rides my bus, and if he gets annoyed by someone, he always yells, "HAND ME MY BATTLEAXE!" and hold out his hand while I pretend to hand it to him, then he throws the invisible axe at the annoying person. Bobby was origionally Dipseys pencil eraser that his brother ate, then didn't eat, then burned. It was all really weird...Tiana is called "Werelynx" because, well, she is one. We were at Rowan's house last year at her b-day party, after Tiana had left and we had played D&D that night. Rowan's dad said (about Tiana) "Wow. She's the only werelynx that I actually like." me and Rowan were like, "Werelynx?" and he goes "She seems quit untill you say something she doesn't like and then she bites you head off" (or something along those lines) It fit her wonderfully :) "professionally contorted face"-Dipsey says he wants to be a professional face contortionist.**

"BRIIIIIITHAAAAN!" Ebrithil Bunce screamed out her husband's name in desperation, heading straight for their chambers as fast as she could in her heels. "Brithan, my kids are gone!"

"Wha-I thought Corbanth and Draken were with you," His eyes were wide; he thought she meant _their_ kids.

Ebrithil Bunce let out a sigh. "Honey, I mean my _students._ The human girls are missing!"

Brithan seemed relieved that the ones missing weren't his two sons. That relief was soon taken over with concern. "D'you ask everybody to see if they took some time off or something? I know I did when I was in school," he asked, trying to see if she had missed the obvious, as she and several others he knew were known for doing.

"Tried it," she replied flatly.

"Did you check all the dorms-"

"Tried it," she cut him off.

"Did you-"

She looked at him dead in the eye. "Honey, if I come cryin' to you about my students, it's because I have exhausted every other resource!"

"Well I don't know why you came to me! I'm a horrible resource for that."

Ebrithil Bunce looked thoughtful. "Good point," she agreed.

"So you had the other kids look for them, too?" he suggested, thankfully not cut off.

She blinked once and stared off into space, her face slack. "No, actually, I didn't…" She jumped up and kissed Brithan. "Ooohhh, honey! This is why I married yooooou! I dunno what I'd do without you!"

Dipsey looked around desperately. "Where aaare yooooou!?" he cried. He lifted up the mattress, unsure where else they could have gone. "Bobbyyyyyy~! Where could you beeee?" Both Bobby and Derpington were missing. Dipsey suspected that Derpington had kidnapped Bobby and run off with the human girls.

_Meh! I knew he would do dat! He's gonna paaaaay…_ Dipsey growled in his head. He'd looked everywhere for Bobby. He wasn't in the Dragonskeep, and Derpington hadn't been in class all day. Neither of them were anywhere to be found, or annoying the Elves, or anywhere. Then it hit him.

_Wait a second…ERMEGEEEEEEEERRRRRD! _He then proceeded to constantly bang his forehead on the wooden beam that supported his mattress. Once the headache was nearly satisfying enough, he let go of the mattress and let it fall on his head. That was satisfying. Bobby had flight lessons today with Ebrithil Amber. DUH.

With the panic of the missing human girls, he had somehow gotten confused and thought Bobby was missing. This still didn't explain Derpington. Had he, indeed, gone off with the humans without him or Battleaxe? Well that was just Trollishly rude.

Just then, someone yanked the collar of his tunic, ripping his head out from between the mattress and wood, giving Dipsey a bruised scrape on his brow that wouldn't be disappearing any time soon without magic. He gagged as he was jerked back, and he fell on his butt with the sight of dark ginger hair over his face, even though his eyes were half covered by his own burnet hair.

"Mrp-hmn-mn!" he uttered his 2nd best friend's name, and muffles were all that came out of his temporarily covered mouth. Derpington let go of Dipsey, but before he could begin to explain a thing, Dipsey growled,

"I thought you ran off with them smartseh hyooman girls."

"Well, I was going to, but then I figured that you and Battleaxe would wanna to come, too," he explained. "I was looking for them all day, then remembered that I overheard Tiana saying yesterday at lunch that she wanted to go on an adventure." Derpington made a very derpy face to emphasize his statement.

Dipsey, in turn, made a very dipsey face (this consists of the eyes completely covered by sideways-sweeping hair, and the lips in a gagging position, yet twisted in opposite directions to look like a trapezoid) "Tiana? You mean Werelynx?"

Derpington paused for a moment, somewhat exasperated, and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dipsey. Werelynx. Anyways, we'll have to wait 'till Crafty and Bobby get back. And then we'll have to ask Miney and Battleaxe if they wanna come. Pretty sure they do."

Dipsey didn't look very happy. He pulled a frowney face.

"What?" asked Derpington.

"You didn't actually ask me if I wanted to go."

"Wha-…Why should I have to? I know you do."

Dipsey scoffed. "No you don't! Not 'till you ask!"

"Dude, honestly-"

"Just do it." Dipsey's professionally contorted face offered for no argument.

Derpington sighed. "Dipsey, do you want t-"

"Yes. Yes I do." Dipsey got up and walked back to go to class. He turned back for a moment to see Derpington still sitting where he had been, his bottom eyelid twitching. "You mad, bro?" Dipsey grinned.

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Well of course we want to come!" Battleaxe stated the sentence like it was common sense, no question needed. Derpington knew that he would do so, but Dipsey insisted upon asking.

"HAND ME MY BATTLEAXE!" Cried Battleaxe (this, of course is his nickname, as are the known names of Derpington and Dipsey; no one really knows their birth names- Battleaxe is called Axe for short) to his dragon, Miney. His stone-grey scales rippled as he lowered his neck to spit out his Rider's battleaxe in his outstretched hand.

As the three young dwarves and their dragons flew away from the Dragonskeep, one question that had not occurred to Dipsey and Derpington came quite suddenly to Axe.

_Hey, guys?_ He had to use his mind to speak over the wind, of course. _Do you think that the Elves and Urgals will be okay without us dwarves or humans?_

A reasonable question, that one was.

**USE. THE. GOD. GIVEN. REVEIW. BOX.**


End file.
